


Small Potatoes

by Kalina_Malia



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 02:13:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28645791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalina_Malia/pseuds/Kalina_Malia
Summary: Scully and Mulder discuss the events of 4x20 Small Potatoes.SPOILER WARNING: Season 4 Episode 20 "Small Potatoes"**Note: This story is currently rated T but the rating may go up in future chapters.**
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Small Potatoes

Mulder had been pouting all week. Moping around, not as chatty as usual, a dark look on his face, and the follow-up paperwork had been a nightmare. Work was dragging on more than normal. And Scully blamed it on Mulder's sullen attitude. In times like these, Scully considers threatening to open a new X-File into whether Mulder’s office seems to shrink when things get this quiet. _Just leave him be_ , she kept reminding herself. 

Thursday was torture, but at least Scully had a dinner date with a girlfriend to look forward to. 

By the time Friday afternoon came around, Scully had enough. Enough of the sighs, the feeling of his eyes on her, the pencil tapping, all of it. “Mulder, I really wish you would quit moping around and tell me what’s wrong,” she exasperated as she shut her laptop cover, a little more forcefully than she meant to.

Mulder jumped, his head snapped in the direction of the sound. When he comprehended what Scully said, his face dropped again unconsciously. “Nothing’s wrong, Scully. I just hate paperwork.” He sighed, and his eyes were back on the expense report in front of him. On the same line he had been working on for probably 30 minutes.

“I know you hate paperwork, Mulder, but that’s not it. Ever since Saturday, you've been absolutely - oh.” She stopped her explanation abruptly. Her face lit up with a teasing smile. _He’s jealous!!_ she thought with pride. She laughed as she said, “You’re jealous!”

“What!? No… I’m not jealous! Jealous of what, Scully?”

Mulder spat out his answer a little too quickly, which made Scully giggle a little more.

“Yes you are! You’re jealous of Eddie Van Blundht! Spelled B-l-u-n-d-H-t!” She giggled, goading him further. “He’s got personality!” She laughed louder. 

Mulder sighed, his heart pounding hard, the whoosh of his pulse in his ears louder and louder… “I’m not jealous!” He snapped, grumpily. _Ugh, that giggle is maddening,_ he thought. 

Her teasing relaxing slightly, she leaned towards Mulder, her heart also racing. Her inner sense of humor musing, _Mulder doth protest too much, methinks_ \- a not uncommon thought of hers. “Mulder, there’s nothing to be jealous of. We had a few glasses of wine. We talked. Then you walked in,” she said, matter-of-factly, her arms crossing as she unconsciously tries to convince herself and him that her words are that simple.

He felt his heart exploding in his chest as an unexpected, quiet shout came out of his mouth. “I walked in on you about to kiss! What do you mean nothing? And why would you kiss him anyway!” And immediately regretted what he said. _Ah shit, she did it again. Damnit!_

His expression hardened in defiance, but then his eyes fell back to the papers in front of him. 

Noting the sensitivity of the nerve Scully touched on, she changed tactic, treading lightly and with a pang of regret for laughing at what obviously very much bothered her partner. _C'mon, give a little, get a little, Mulder!_

She sighed as she stood up from the uncomfortable wooden chair with a screech, and he looked up at the noise to see Scully start moving towards him. Her facial expression had changed. _Ah damn, not that face_ , he thought. 

In the moments it took her to cross the room, her face changed to a naked expression of concern and care. Her lips tightened slightly, her cheeks relaxed and lifted in an almost-smile, and the slight smile wrinkle around her eyes became more prominent. The “do anything” face, Mulder called it. To himself. 

“Mulder,” she said, softly, leaning to sit on the edge of the corner of his desk. She paused, placing her hand on his arm gently as he leaned back in his chair. “There is nothing to be jealous of.” She squeezed. 

Mulder’s expression, however, was equal parts angry, sad, and tired. “Yeah, okay.” _Ugh, this sucks. Just leave me be, Scully. There’s nothing you can do for me - I'm a hopeless case._ He couldn’t look at her any longer. He didn’t want to say anything further. He invited the silence between them. 

During the long pause in which Mulder lamented and denigrated himself, his “Spooky Mulder” victimhood took over. Scully also lamented. 

She searched his expression, not too different from the past few days, but now with bitterness. _What is there to a be jealous of? Why would he be jealous of Eddie Van Blundht of all people? Because_ he _was going to kiss me instead of him?_ Scully sighed, embarrassed. She removed her hand from his forearm. “Mulder, I don’t know what to say.”

His eyes snapped back up to hers, his full attention on her fair face. 

“I don’t understand why you would be jealous, and actually, what happened left me _horribly_ embarrassed. If anyone should have been moping around all week, it should have been me.”

He snapped back, arms crossing aggressively, “Moping! I do not _mope_ , Scully!” His body betrayed his feelings however, sighing, his shoulders slumping slightly. _Jeez, I’m a horrible actor_ , his self-depreciation interjecting itself in his self-talk.

“Mulder…” she replied, softly. “It’s okay.” 

Another silence crept between them, Mulder staring at Scully as her eyes fell to the foot supporting her weight. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, but she couldn’t bare the defeated expression on Mulder’s face. 

_This isn’t how I expected this to unfold_ , Scully thought, her heart racing, hoping not to betray herself. Her wandering mind unable to avoid remembering her living room this past Saturday. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

All day Sunday, Scully dealt with the fallout from the case, from the embarrassment, and from the expectation of Monday Mulder’s scrutinizing eyes. 

Forget the bizarre fact that she had seen Eddie Van Blundht completely transform from who she thought was her partner into his true form moments after Mulder had broken in her door. She had dealt with the shock that kept her awake all Saturday night. 

She couldn’t get a read on him before he left her apartment that night and she was extremely confused. 

There were times before that she had caught Mulder looking at her, but she chalked it up to his worry after her abduction. 

But when he - _Eddie that is_ \- leaned in for a kiss, she couldn’t help but wonder, remembering… 

...

_“What’s stopping us?” He asked her._

_She found that she was enjoying herself, the wine was good. And she did like the conversation and seeing a different Mulder she didn’t think existed. She smiled to herself. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this,” she laughed into her glass._

_“I don’t believe you hadn’t told me before,” he said, looking at her from under his brow, his body betraying his pointed attention._

_“Now I’m seeing a whole new side of you, Mulder.” She sighed._

_“Is that a good thing?” He asked, genuinely._

_The blush rose on her cheeks, the wine having warmed her. She felt it. She nodded slightly, “I like it.” She smiled a small smile, contented with her answer._

_“Do you ever wish things were different?” He asked._

_“What do you mean?”_

_“The person you wanted to be when you were in high school. How far from that did you end up?”_

_“Career-wise? Miles off target.”_

_“Nuh-uh. Not just that,” he shook his head. “Do you ever wish you could go back and do it all differently?” His expression sad, pondering, searching her eyes._

_Scully thought he looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. Her brow furrowed. She paused, her hands dropping to her lap. “Do you?”_

_They both locked their eyes on each other - truly looking at each other - searching the other’s eyes. A pregnant pause hung in the air, soft music playing in the background._

_He sat up, moving closer to her on the couch, closing the space between them. Her head tilted, her expression softening as his intentions washed over her… her heart rattling in its cage, her skin about to melt off..._

_He paused, judging her expression. Seeing no hesitancy, he leaned forward, getting up and moving closer as he tilted his head._

_She was frozen. Her eyes closed, her breath hitched, her entire body tingling as he leaned over her…_

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Mulder couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. It had become increasingly difficult this week to do so - he wanted to know why and how and what. He wanted to open an investigation. He wanted to open an entire X-File for his investigation. The rationale for opening a new X-File: he wanted to know what Scully was thinking, what she felt. And of course, _Why not me?_ repeated over and over, day and night. He _was_ jealous. Painfully so. 

As deflated as he felt, he could tell she was lost in thought as she stared down at the floor. _Scully, you don’t know what you do to me…_ he mused sullenly. He gave her the space she needed to think, but also took advantage of the distraction. He noticed her breath hitch and her pulse race. She looked up and he quickly looked at his hands.

“Alright, well…” she said, standing up straight, her arms crossing in front of her. 

Mulder started and sat up straight in his chair with a squeak. 

“Would it make you feel better if I invited you over for dinner tonight? We can get a pizza and you can bring the wine.”

He smiled. “I’ll bring the wine.”

Scully smiled as she turned her back to him. “Then that’s that. Stop moping and finish up. I should be done in an hour.” She slowly made her way back to her ‘corner’ of the room.

“I don’t mope, Scully!” he shouted, with a laugh in his voice. 

**Author's Note:**

> Apologies for the unimaginative title and summary - it might change. This is an X-periment. ;)
> 
> Let me know what you think! Do you wanna see more?


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